Just a Little Chemistry
by TagTheScullion
Summary: Nico needs help, Will is okay with providing it. Solangelo one-shot.


**This comes from my studying for midterm exams. I always pictured Will being older than Nico, and of course, always willing to help the kid with anything. It's also mentioned that Nico lives with his "aunt and uncle"; it's my head canon that at some point Sally and Paul would take their nephew in, for him to have a shot at a "normal life" of sorts. That being said, I hope you enjoy :)**

 **By the way, I don't own PJO, fellas.**

* * *

Nico had a long list of events he regretted of his 17-going-on-80-something life. Waiting until the night before his chemistry exam to begin studying was definitely high on the top ten.

He liked chemistry enough, it was methodical; not as pointlessly complicated as math, but not as awfully boring as history (and that was coming from a guy hitting his 80s).

What he didn't like, and that was putting it lightly, was to realise how many concepts he had to memorise in the 8 hours left until the exam the following morning.

He wasn't into asking for help to his classmates, they were unbelievably competitive the closer the SATs were. So he turned towards his last hope: Will.

His boyfriend had been accepted in the NYU for medicine the past year, and if there was someone out there who must've know what the hell his chemistry notebook meant by "sodium sulfate", it was Will.

Will sounded slightly alarmed as he picked up the phone, or he did if "Did you set something on fire?! It's 1 in the morning, what's happened?!" was anything to go by.

Nico rolled his eyes, leave it to his significant annoyance to be that melodramatic over a call during the night. He blamed it on Apollo's blood, no child of his could be normal, could they?

"I haven't caused any catastrophe, although your faith in me is reassuring, I can tell you," Nico replied impatiently. "I need you to help me with chemistry."

There was a pause, then a loud sight, "You woke me up in the middle of the night because you had a chemistry question?"

"It's more like a chemistry dilemma, if you understand me," Nico explained briefly. "I have seven and a half hours to learn this term's chemistry, or my future is ruined."

Yes, that _was_ a bit dramatic, perhaps, for one who'd just complained about the other's antics. But Nico needed Will to see a point, and fast. The end justifies the means, and all that.

"Then wouldn't Skype work better?" Will asked, resignation clear in his voice.

"No, unless you wish for my aunt's house to be flooded by monsters before dawn. I need you to come and help me, or else I'm done for it."

Nico tried to avoid talking as fast as he did when he was a hyperactive 10-year-old. He managed it just fine, unless he was excited and/or stressed. Undoubtedly he was both. Stressed, well, he didn't even want to think about his impertinent scholar failure. Plus a bit excited because he hadn't seen Will in twenty three days and seventeen hours, and regardless of people thinking his soul was irreversibly black, he did have a soft spot saved for his boyfriend.

Another pause, "Okay," a yawn. "Coming. But no yelling at me if you fail anyway. Why did you even wait 'till the last..."

"Save the lecture for later, I already heard it from my aunt and uncle," Nico hung up the phone.

* * *

There was a soft knock on the door around 20 minutes later. Nico almost missed it, and then remembered it probably was Will who wouldn't want to wake up the entire household.

Opening the door he stood facing a disgruntled-looking young man. Will stoically ruffled Nico's hair, a thing he did periodically to remind the brunet that he was a couple of years older.

Nico, however had no time for affection, he grabbed Will's hand and pushed him to an arm chair next to the coffee table he was using as a study-desk.

He threw a pencil and an exercise guide towards his boyfriend. He sat cross-legged on the sofa and stared expectantly.

Will raised an eyebrow, "Do expect me to somehow transport my knowledge into your head?"

"Just tell me how to name those compounds. I don't get the cation, anion naming thing. Like, those suffixes, are those supposed to go with metals or the other elements' names?"

Will shook his head, then stared seriously at Nico. The tired, slightly panicked face on him made Will realise he was going to spend the whole night attempting to teach the son of Hades.

"Why don't I give you a crash course from the beginning? Let's see, organic compounds first, if you will."

Six hours and twenty minutes later, plus a couple of breaks in the middle, Nico knew the basics. He wouldn't full marks, but he'd scrape a passing grade.

* * *

Eight days later, Will answered a knock on his dorm's door to an exam paper thrown to his face, marked 74% in big red numbers.

"Can you believe it?" cried his boyfriend's cheerful voice. "Not only did I pass, but I got more than 70! You're teaching me for every test from now on!"

"As long as it's during the day and there's no need to pull another all-nighter..." Will agreed. "Now what do I earn for my arduous job?"

"My being happy for the next few days?" Nico said mockingly. In a quieter, calmer tone he added, "And I was thinking maybe we could celebrate by watching a movie, or something."

Will smirked. They might've been dating for four years already, but Nico always blushed when he asked Will out. The son of Apollo found it endearing.

"That I can accept gladly," he kissed Nico's cheek. "Marvel's new release is said to be worth the while. And there's also the new Disney feature..."

"I'm not taking you to watch a Disney musical again," Nico rolled his eyes, amused. "The last time they kicked us out because you _insisted_ in singing along the characters."

Will laughed. All was well, Nico was happy and they had a date to look forwards to. If a sleepless night was all it took, Will was willing to do it anytime.

* * *

 **Apologies if any names are wrong, whatever chemistry _I_ know isn't in English, unfortunately. **


End file.
